Twelfth Night in 1830

It is Twelfth Night and the Woodruffe children are preparing their costumes for a fancy dress ball they will attend that evening. 

What's happening

It is Twelfth Night and the Woodruffe children are preparing their costumes for a fancy dress ball they will attend that evening. They will each be dressed as a character from the deck of cards on the table. They are looking forward to dancing and staying up late.

Before they leave, they will have tea and cut the Twelfth cake. This morning, the eldest boy William went with his mother to choose it from a confectioner’s shop on Tottenham Court Road. The children are excited to see who will find a bean in their slice and become the Lord of Misrule this year.

Twelfth Night

Celebrated on 5 January, Twelfth Night was once the highlight of the festive season. In medieval times, a pea or bean would be baked into the Twelfth Night cake. Whoever discovered it, whether it be a servant, child or master, would become the Lord of Misrule and would be in charge of the festivities for the night.